Using Audio Recording in Book

[Book Author]

Jurisdiction

New York

Hello.

I am about finished with writing a book. Part of it includes an interview I gave with someone a year and a half ago. Since it's recorded, I did include the entire conversation in the book. However, I took out all the names we discussed and information which clearly identifies the interviewee. While I anonymized the people involved in the interview, I am identifying the interviewee as a relative to one of the main characters. Is it ok if I still use this conversation in my book, especially since I redacted names?

Thanks.

 

[adjusterjack]

Simple solution: Get consent or risk a lawsuit. Do you have tens of thousands of dollars to defend a lawsuit, win or lose?

 

[welkin]

Hello.

I am about finished with writing a book. Part of it includes an interview I gave with someone a year and a half ago. Since it's recorded, I did include the entire conversation in the book. However, I took out all the names we discussed and information which clearly identifies the interviewee. While I anonymized the people involved in the interview, I am identifying the interviewee as a relative to one of the main characters. Is it ok if I still use this conversation in my book, especially since I redacted names?

Thanks.

You're writing the book, you are not identifying the parties, you were a precipitant in the interview so I don't think you have any copyright issues. But you should play it safe and run it by an IP attorney.

 

[flyingron]

Spoken words themselves do not engender copyright. It's the person who puts them in tangible form that creates the copyrightable material. Unless the interviewee was reading from a script or other copyright-protected work, your recording may be rightful owner as far as copyright is concerned.

Now whether you have other issues or not depend on what the material is, who the speaker is, and whether it could be deduced who they were despite the "names being changed to protect the innocent."